Zotac VR GO vs. MSI VR One: Clash Of The Portable VR Gaming Titans

Zotac VR GO vs. MSI VR One: Earlier, we gave you a detailed outlay of the Zotac VR GO, the portable VR gaming PC, or as is better known in gamer parlance, the VR gaming rig. Today, with the rage all being about the virtual gaming experience, gaming is increasingly going wireless, with more and more gamers switching over to the virtual gaming circuit. The Zotac VR GO and the MSI VR One are the two major commercially available players when it comes to high-performance mobile VR gaming. We compare the two major VR gaming rigs here.

The Zotac VR GO (via zotac.com)

Zotac VR GO vs. MSI VR One: Specifications

Central Processing Unit (CPU):

Both the rigs come with the standard high-end Intel i7 Skylake processor with 16GB of RAM. The Zotac VR GO boasts of a 2.8 GHz with 3.6 GHz Turbo-boost processor, while the MSI VR One has a 2.7 GHz with 3.6 GHz Turbo-boost. There’s hardly anything in the CPU sector to differentiate the two competitors.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU):

When it comes to the Zotac VR GO vs. MSI VR one, the Zotac VR GO has a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5, while the MSI VR One comes with a standard NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, 6GB GDDR5. Only top-tier models of the MSI VR One can be upgraded to a GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 but costs an additional $1000 to do so. This is a major area in which the Zotac VR GO leads.

Storage:

The Zotac VR GO has a 240GB SSD (Solid State Drive) while the MSI VR One has a 256GB SSD upgradable to 512GB. The MSI VR One leads in this segment.

Ports:

The Zotac VR GO has a total of 11 ports, including 6 USB 3.0 ports, 3 HDMI 2.0 ports and 2 DisplayPort 1.4 ports. The MSI VR One has 4 less, with 4 USB 3.0 ports and a single Thunderbolt 3.0, Mini DisplayPort and HDMI 2.0 ports, coming in with 7 ports.

MSI VR One (via msi.com)

Zotac VR GO vs. MSI VR One: Other Details

Weight:

The MSI VR One has a definite edge when it comes to the weight factor, however. Being a portable gaming rig, less weight ensures more portability. The MSI VR One weighs 3.6 kg, more than one kg lighter than the Zotac VR GO. This factor, coupled with the fact that the MSI VR One has better connectivity, gives it an edge over its competitor.

Battery backup and Price:

The MSI VR One can only provide a playing time of 90 minutes, with the Zotac beating it with 2 hours of playtime.As for the price, both rigs cost $1,999. However, as mentioned above, to get better GPU performance with the NVIDIA 1070 on the MSI, consumers have to pay more. The priciest MSI VR One version on offer costs $2999.

You can buy the Zotac VR Go here. Note, however, that this product is available for now only in the United States.